Respecting the uniforms

At first, senior Michael Toeniskoetter hated wearing a uniform to school every day at Eagle Ridge Christian School.

"When I first got here I thought it was dumb," he said.

In retrospect, Toeniskoetter admitted he thought moving from a public school to a private school was the problem -- not the uniform.

"Every now and then I hate wearing these clothes because it gets kind of old, but it doesn't bother me too much anymore. These feel like jeans and a T-shirt," he said referring to his khakis and collared polo shirt.

Sophomore Nicole Ramsey has not quite stopped missing her old public school clothes.

"It's kind of annoying sometimes because I have to make sure I have the right clothes on and I can get in trouble if it's a little bit off," she said.

David Brunsma, assistant sociology professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia has studied uniforms since 1996 and found no reliable proof that uniforms raise student achievements or blur economic lines.

He found that the affluent parents buy their children more than three sets of uniforms, while the less affluent parents can only afford one or two sets and those uniforms get worn out faster.

Ramsey agrees with Brunsma's findings.

"I have noticed that some kids are able to have more variety and you can tell who rotates their clothes, they have about three pair and rotate them and others have a different one for everyday," she said.

However, much of the competition for brand names is eliminated with uniforms.

"Some people think they are better than others if they're clothes are nicer, and when you have a uniform it doesn't matter, she said. "They can't say, 'Well I'm better because I can afford such and such clothes.'"

Andrew Toeniskoetter, Michael Toeniskoetter's ninth-grade brother, says he feels more comfortable wearing the uniform.

Uniforms put a good face on the school because others can see the students are held to a higher standard, Andrew Toeniskoetter said.

Comfortable tennis shoes with traction are the item Andrew Toeniskoetter misses the most from his public school days.

Ramsey also misses the comfort of her old public school clothes.

"I miss feeling like I am comfortable all the time because I could go to school in sweat pants and things," Ramsey said.

Nicole Ottersburg, a freshman at Saxony Lutheran after attending Central Junior High last year, said having her shirt tucked in at all times is annoying.

Michael Toeniskoetter attends public school for band class and sees students dressed "trashy," he said.

He says he sees girls with really short shorts and boys with overly baggy pants which they could use to hide anything.

A strict uniform code also helps with security, some parochial school officials say.

"We know the person in a green shirt without a logo is not a Notre Dame student," Notre Dame Regional High School principal Brother David Migliorino said.

The same can be said at Eagle Ridge and Saxony Lutheran.

Saxony Lutheran changed its uniform policy for this school year from a generic collared shirt to a standard polo shirt with a Saxony Lutheran logo, similar Notre Dame. Unlike Eagle Ridge and Notre Dame, Saxony does not have specifications for the type of pants students can wear.

Craig Ernstmeyer, principal at Saxony Lutheran, discussed the changes with parents, teachers and students prior to making the uniform changes.

"It creates an academic atmosphere and you're not judged by what you wear," he said.

Uniforms also cut down on time spent in front of the closet in the morning deciding what to wear that day, Ernstmeyer said.

"It's easier to get ready in the morning," Saxony senior Michelle Kluesner said.

Another reason Eagle Ridge, Notre Dame and Saxony went to a standard uniform was to save parents a little bit of money.

"In the long run it's more cost effective for parents, maybe not the first year but over the course of four years here at Saxony," Ernstmeyer said.

Ernstmeyer will continue meeting with students and parents to discuss ongoing changes to their uniform rules.

"When this was implemented, I didn't think this was the last time we were going to visit the issue; it's ongoing," he said.

ameyer@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 127